Mechanical time fuse



Jan. 23, 1934. A VARAUD 1,944,623

Filed Aug. 50, 1955 Patented Jan. 23, 1934 STATES TENT @FFlaCE Application August 30, 1933, Serial No. 687,518, and in Switzerland August 1, 1932 10 Claims.

surface or surfaces the desired axial displacement.

The annexed drawing illustrates a form of construction of a fuse according to the invention in which the movement of the percussor-pin and detonator is produced by the displacement of the detonator.

Fig. 1 is a section of a part of the fuse, the detonator being shown in the position of rest which it occupies before the projectile is `fired.

Fig. 2 is a section on line II-II of Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 Ais a section similar to Fig. l, the detonator being in the active position, adjacent the percussor-pin. The detonator l is housed in the interior of a cylindrical member made in two parts of which the one indicated by reference numeral 2 comprises a pair of cylindricalcentrifugal bolts 3.

An extension 4 of the part 2 abuts against a centrifugal bolt 5 maintaining this part in the position shown in Fig. 1 and also locking the percussor-pin 6 so that the percussor-pin and detonator cannot approach one another as long as the said centrifugal bolt 5 is in place.

The outer extremities of the centrifugal bolts 3, which are cylindrical and Vcapable of moving radially in cylindrical housings, are hemispherical and bear against inclined surface 'i aring out in the `direction of the head of the projectile and terminating in a space 8 of greater diameter in such a way that a shoulder 9 is formed.

15 The operation is as followsz- Y As long as the centrifugal bolt 5 occupies its place the fuse is safe.

After firing, the centrifugal bolt 5 is thrown 50 from the fuse under the action of the centrifugal force and after having burst or torn the membraneV 10 closing the housing, frees the percussorpin and the detonator which are no longer prevented from moving towards one another. An exterior force, however, is necessary to produce the required movement of the detonator and the percussor-pin Ytowards one another.

This force is produced by the centrifugal bolts 3 which tend to depart from the center and bear radially against the inclined surface 7. The radial force of the bolts 3 is decomposed into a component normal to the surface of support 7 and into a component parallel to the axis of the projectile, a direction in which the detonator and the members which contain it are in effect capable of moving.

The component parallel to the axis of the projectile and of which the value depends evidently on the degree of inclination of the inclined parts 7, then has the effect of displacing the part 2 70 as well as the detonator 1 axially in the direction of the percussor-pin until these various parts occupy the position shown in Fig. 3, in which the bolts 3 take support on the shoulder 9 and thus prevent a backward movement of the detonator 1.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States isz- 1. In a percussion fuse for projectiles, a percussor-pin, a detonator, at least one of which is capable of axial movement with respect to the projectile towards the other, a carriage containing said detonator, centrifugal bolts operably mounted in said carriage and having hemi-v spherical ends remote from one another, an inclined surface of the fuse body over which said hemi-spherical ends can slide and centrifugal locking means operating to allow the operation of said bolts and thereby the movement of said detonator after the projectile has been fired.

2. In a percussion fuse for projectiles, a percussor-pin, a detonator, at least one of which is capable of axial movement with respect to the projectile towards the other, a carriage containing said detonator, centrifugal bolts operably mounted in said carriage and having hemi-spherical ends remote from one another, an inclined surface of the fuse body over which said hemispherical ends can slide,v a flat surface perpendicular to the axis of the fuse on which said centrifugal bolts can take support in the position in which the detonator is brought towards the percussor pin and centrifugal locking means operating to allow the operation of said bolts and thereby the l,movement of said detonator after the projectile has been fired.

3. A percussion fuse for projectiles comprising a housing, a firing pin axially movably mounted in said housing, a carriage axially movable toward said firing pin, a detonator positioned in said carriage, centrifugally movable bolts slidably mounted in radially extending sockets in said carriage, the inner surface of said housing opposite said bolts being inclined outwardly in a direction toward the firing pin so that upon outward radial movement of said bolts against the inclined surfaces of said housing, due to centrifugal force, the carriage containing the detonator will be moved toward said firing 4. A percussion fuse for projectiles comprising a housing, a firing pin axially movably mounted in said housing, a carriage axially movable toward said firing pin, a detonator positioned in said carriage, centrifugally movable bolts slidably mounted in radially` extending sockets in said carriage, the inner surface of said housing opposite said bolts being inclined outwardly in a direction toward the ring pin so that upon outward radial movement of said bolts against the inclined surfaces of said housing, due to centrifugal force, the carriage containing the detonator will be moved toward said firing pin, said housing having an enlarged interior diameter adjacent the inclined surfaces providing a shoulder having a radial surface against which the centrifugal bolts engage to lock thel detonator carriage in the position to which it is moved by centrifugal force.

5. A percussion fuse for projectiles comprising a housing, a ring pin axially movably mounted in said housing, a carriage axially movable toward said firing pin, a detonator posi- :tioned inV said carriage, centrifugally movable bolts slidably mounted in radially extending sockets in said carriage, the inner surface of said housing opposite said bolts being inclined cut- Wardly in a direction toward the firing pin so :that upon outward radial movement of said bolts against the inclined surfaces of said housing, due to centrifugal force, the carriage containing the detonator will be moved toward said firing pin, and radially movable means positioned I between the'ring pin and the detonator carriage to prevent movement of the pin and detonator toward each other, said radially movable means being removable by centrifugal force created upon ring the projectile to permit movement of said detonator toward the firing pin.

6. A percussion fuse for projectiles comprising a housing, a firing pin axially movably mounted in said housing, a carriage axially movable toward said firing pin, a detonatorA positioned in said carriage, centrifugally movable bolts slidably mounted in radially'extending sockets in said carriage, the inner surface of said housing opposite said bolts being inclined outwardly in a direction toward the firing pin so that upon J outward radial movement of said bolts against the inclined surfaces of said housing, due to centrifugal force, the carriage containing the detonator will be moved toward said firing pin, said housing having an enlarged interiordiameter adjacent the inclined surfaces providing a shoulder having a radial surface against which the centrifugal bolts engage to lock the detonator carriage in the position to which it is moved by centrifugal force, and radially movable means positioned between the ring pin and the detonator carriage to prevent movement of the pin and detonator toward each other, said radially movable means being removable by Centrifugal force created uponrring the projectile to permit movement of said detonator toward the firing pin.

'7. A percussion fuse for projectiles comprising a housing having an axial bore therein of varying diameter, the bore in the forward portion of said housing having a larger diameter than that in the rearward portion thereof and providing a radial shoulder at the junction thereof, a rin'g pin guide positioned in the forward portion of said bore, a firing pin slidably mounted therein in a direction axially of the bore, a carriage slidably mounted in the bore of reduced diameter, a detonator cap fixed to said carriage and movable therewith, said carriage having radial bores formed therein, centrifugally actuated bolts slidably mounted in said bores, the wall of the bore of smallerdiameter being inclined outwardly adjacent said radial shoulder and adapted to coopcrate with said centrifugally actuated bolts upon movement of the latter into engagement therewith to axially move said carriage toward the firing pin.

8. A percussion fuse for projectiles comprising a housing having an axial bore therein of Varying diameter, the bore in the forward portion of said housing having a larger diameter than that in the rearward portion thereof and providing a radial shoulder at the junction thereof, a firing pin guide positioned in the forward portion of said bore, a firing pin slidably mounted therein in a direction axially of the bore, a carriage slidably mounted in the bore of reduced diameter, a detonator cap fixed to said carriage and movable therewith, said carriage having radial bores formed therein, centrifugally actuated bolts slidably mounted in said bores,.the wall ofthe bore of smaller diameter being inclined outwardly adjacent said radial shoulder and adapted to coopcrate with said centrifugally actuated bolts upon movement of the latter into engagement therewith to axially move said carriage toward the ring pin, said firing pin guide and carriage being constructed to limit movement of the carriage toward the ring pin, and said centrifugally actuated bolts being adapted to cooperate with said radial shoulder to prevent movement of.

said carriage away from the firing pin.

9. A percussion fuse for projectiles comprising a housing having an axial bore therein of Varying diameter, the bore in the forward portion of said housing having a larger diameter than that in the rearward portion thereof and providing a radial shoulder at the junction thereof, a ring pin guide positioned in the forward portion of said bore, a firing pin slidably mounted therein in a direction axially of the bore, a carriage slidably mounted in the bore of reduced diameter, a detonator cap xed to said carriage and movable therewith, said carriage having radial bores formed therein, centrifugally actuated bolts slidably mounted in said bores, the wall of the bore of smaller diameter being 'inclined outwardly adjacent said radial shoulder and adapted tocooperate with said centrifugally actuated bolts upon movement of the latter into engagement therewith to axially move said carriage toward the firing pin, and radially movable means positioned in a socket formed inthe firing pin guide and extending through an opening in the housing adapted to engage a portion of said carriage to prevent movement of said carriage toward vthe firing pin, said radially movable means being adapted to be removed from the housing by the action of centrifugal force created upon firing of the projectile.

10. A percussion fuse for projectiles comprising a housing having an axial bore therein of varying diameter, the bore in the forward portion of said housing having a larger diameter than that in the rearward portion thereof and providing a radial shoulder at the junction thereof, a firing pin guide positioned in the forward portion of said bore, a ring pin slidably mounted therein in a direction axial-1y of the bore, a carriage slidably mounted in the bore of reduced diameter, a detonator cap fixed to said carriage and movable therewith, said carriage having radial bores formed therein, centrifugally actuated bolts slidably mounted in said bores, the wall of the bore of smaller diameter being inclined outwardly adjacent said radial shoulder and adapted to cooperate with said centrifugally actuated bolts upon movement of the latter into engagement therewith to axially move said carriage toward the ring pin, said ring pin guide and carriage being constructed to limit movement of the carriage toward the firing pin, and said centrifugally actuated bolts being adapted to cooperate with said radial shoulder to prevent movement of said carriage away from the ring pin, and radially movable means positioned in a socket formed in the firing pin guide and extending through an opening in the housing adapted to engage a portion of said carriage to prevent movement of said carriage toward the firing pin, said radially movable means being adapted to be removed from the housing by the action of centrifugal force created upon ring of the projectile.

ANDR VARAUD. 

